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A review by willowbiblio
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
"'Strength and weakness are tangled things,' the Aven Essen had said. 'They look so much alike, we often confuse them, the way we confuse magic and power.'"
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I'm really glad I chose to stick with this series, because this was so much better than book 1. Lila lost a lot of that "I'm not like other girls" nonsense that made her so insufferable. The inclusion of several more POVs, and shifting through all more continuously/seamlessly kept the narration interesting. I also enjoyed seeing the different cultures even within Red London's world. I enjoyed the way Lila's burgeoning power was explored and that we had several flashbacks to support an ongoing narrative instead of random info dumps.
There were still some aspects that were odd to me- how did no one recognize Kell in the tournament? He's such a *known* figure in that world/city. Additionally, it seemed odd that there was so much tension amongst a family (the royals) that was previously so close. I also felt like it was odd that no one besides Tieren recognized Lila as an imposter.
I enjoyed seeing what became of Holland and getting established a bit in Black London/ the way things can go wrong with magic. This was a massive improvement in all areas and I'm looking forward to finishing the series now.
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I'm really glad I chose to stick with this series, because this was so much better than book 1. Lila lost a lot of that "I'm not like other girls" nonsense that made her so insufferable. The inclusion of several more POVs, and shifting through all more continuously/seamlessly kept the narration interesting. I also enjoyed seeing the different cultures even within Red London's world. I enjoyed the way Lila's burgeoning power was explored and that we had several flashbacks to support an ongoing narrative instead of random info dumps.
There were still some aspects that were odd to me- how did no one recognize Kell in the tournament? He's such a *known* figure in that world/city. Additionally, it seemed odd that there was so much tension amongst a family (the royals) that was previously so close. I also felt like it was odd that no one besides Tieren recognized Lila as an imposter.
I enjoyed seeing what became of Holland and getting established a bit in Black London/ the way things can go wrong with magic. This was a massive improvement in all areas and I'm looking forward to finishing the series now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Murder